Favorite Boy
by UltimateContestShipperB2
Summary: Dawn and Gary have been friends since kindergarten. Gary's been trying to hide his feelings for Dawn from her-and himself-for the past twelve years. Will he tell her how he feels, or will his friends have to intervene? Cavalier/Poke/Contest/Against, AU.
1. Cool Off

**A/N: **So, I decided to take a break from ContestShipping and write some CavalierShipping. This is my second lapse into my CavalierShipping high. I hope you like this one. In my opinion, it holds promise…

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Pokémon…or the characters.

\^*0*^/ {X} \^*0*^/**Favorite Boy**\^*0*^/ {X} \^*0*^/

{1} **Chapter 1: Cool Off **{1}

"I can't believe you said that, Paul! You're such a jerk!" Dawn shrieked at her boyfriend.

"And I can't believe that you're so vain that you actually care!" Paul retorted coldly. He never got mad, but the cold, gray fire Dawn saw in his eyes said otherwise.

"Well, you're my boyfriend! What do you expect?" she replied, folding her arms. She and Paul were having yet another fight. It seemed as though they fought about everything nowadays. Dawn was starting to forget why she began to date him in the first place.

With that, she walked away from him. Both of them needed time to cool off. This had been one of their worst fights yet…

Gary Oak was bored again. He was sitting in Calculus class, trying not to fall asleep. He usually only paid attention during AP Biology, which was next period—and the only reason he even cared was because his grandpa taught that class.

He sighed. He had a crush on the head cheerleader, but he was nothing but a loser…sort of. Sure, he was a wide receiver on the varsity football team, and he was captain of the basketball team, but the girl he loved was only a sophomore—and he was a junior. Even so, Dawn was _way_ out of Gary's league, especially considering they were best friends. Sure, Gary had so many fangirls that their screams often haunted his nightmares, but since he got so much female attention, people thought he was a playboy.

Gary felt a tap on his shoulder, which interrupted his rambling thoughts, and turned. It was Drew, one of Gary's best friends. Drew and Ash were two of the few people Gary could even consider hanging out with. Well, Gary also hung out with Kenny, but they weren't all that friendly with each other, especially because Kenny was madly in love with Dawn.

Drew smirked at Gary and pointed at the person sitting in the seat in front of him. It was Paul, Dawn's annoying boyfriend who showed no emotions. Seriously, it was really creepy.

Drew was the smart, smug, obnoxious type. In fact, Gary and Drew were friends almost exclusively because of how similar they were. Drew was great at everything he tried. He was the quarterback (and obviously the captain) on the football team; he was the captain of the soccer team; he played point guard in basketball; he was the star pitcher in baseball; he was in all AP classes; he played the piano, guitar, violin, cello, clarinet, alto saxophone, and organ; he had the second highest IQ in the region (second only to Gary himself); and he could ski and snowboard better than just about anyone. Moreover, Drew had more fangirls than he could count (and considering Drew had such a high IQ, that's a lot of fans). However, he only had eyes for one girl—who despised him.

Gary rolled his eyes at his friend. For a guy like Drew, messing with people was fun. Drew knew full well that Dawn's skater boyfriend Paul was in this class, and it seemed as though he was doing everything he could to make Paul notice.

It was funny, though; Dawn, a cheerleader, was dating Paul, a punk/skater. In Gary's opinion, he would be _much _better suited to date Dawn—especially because of their social status, and Drew knew full well that Gary and Dawn belonged together, so, unbeknownst to Gary, he'd come up with a plan to set them up…

Drew also knew that Gary's other friend Ash wasn't in this class to stand up for the brown-haired teen. Ash was the stupid, carefree nice guy of the group. He played hockey, soccer, baseball (where he was the pitcher), and football. He was a junior, too, and he was a pretty popular guy (just like Drew and Gary were).

He and his "friend" Misty both were in Algebra this year. He and Misty often fought and verbally abused each other—with Misty often hitting him with things. Yet, they were too stupid to accept the fact that they were madly in love with each other. Gary could understand it from someone as stupid as Ash, but from Misty? She really wasn't all that dense.

"Mr. Oak? Do you have the answer to number fifteen?" asked the teacher, snapping Gary abruptly from his thoughts.

"What?" Gary jumped about three feet into the air.

The entire class erupted in laughter—with the exception of Drew (because they were friends) and Paul (he doesn't laugh).

"Pay attention, Oak," Professor Elm said. "I might've been a student of your grandfather's before, but now, you're_ my_ student, and as such, you have to listen to and respect me! You have after school detention for a week for your lack of respect," he finished.

Then, the bell rang. "Your homework's on the board. Class dismissed,"

The class instantly left the room. Drew gave Gary a sympathetic look and left the room. Before Gary could stand up from his seat, Professor Elm spoke to him.

"Oh, and Mr. Oak, I expect you to be in this classroom at three thirty this afternoon. Don't be late," he said with a small smile.

"But sir!" Gary argued. "I have football practice today,"

"And?" Professor Elm looked unmoved.

"And detention is for an hour and a half. Football starts at four. I'll be late," said Gary. He didn't even bother to add the fact that he'd been late to football practice the day before, too; just because they called him a player and he didn't like it doesn't mean that he wasn't one. He'd been messing around with one of his groupies. It was nothing serious, though.

"Well, it's not my problem you weren't paying attention today," said Professor Elm, erasing the whiteboard for the next class. "I'll see you at three thirty, Oak," he said dismissively.

Gary left the classroom, grumbling. He held a detention slip in his hand, and he knew that his grandpa wouldn't be happy about that. Hopefully, Coach Lance would understand. Lance was a cool guy—and the football coach. He was young, and he was usually pretty lenient, especially with Gary. He also insisted that his team call him Lance or Coach Lance and not by his last name (no one actually knew it).

Drew had been waiting for him outside the classroom. They walked to Gary's locker in silence; Gary's discussion with Professor Elm had been long enough for Drew to grab his books (not to mention tease May; her locker was next to his). May was the captain of the girl's varsity soccer team, and she was a cheerleader. She was also a figure skater, and Drew often teased her about how a klutz like her could even balance on ice skates.

"So, couldn't get out of detention, huh?" Drew asked finally. As the football captain, Drew was mad that his star wide receiver would be an hour late for practice, but he knew better than to argue with Professor Elm.

"Nope," said Gary, casting his eyes down.

"Hey, dudes. Why so glum, Gary?" asked Ash, coming up to his locker. His locker was next to Gary's on the left.

"Gary got detention," Drew said with a smirk. Then, he did something that never failed to make his fangirls swoon—and irritate Gary to his wits' end. He flipped his chartreuse hair. It was the most obnoxious habit, in Gary's opinion; after all, there was no need for Drew to show off his naturally green and shiny—not to mention perfectly tousled—hair.

"Ouch. What for?" Ash asked, his chocolate eyes shining with concern.

"Stupid Professor Elm gave it to me because I wasn't paying attention in class," Gary said, slamming his locker shut.

"That seems like a good reason to me," Ash said uncertainly.

Drew chuckled; even he knew that it was a bad thing to bug Gary when he was in one of his moods, and he and Gary had just met at the beginning of high school. Ash and Gary, however, knew each other since elementary school.

Then, before Gary could blow up at Ash, a locker slammed shut on his other side. Gary turned, as did his friends, to find Dawn furiously slamming her locker. Drew winked at Gary and pulled a very confused Ash away.

"Oh, come on, you dullard. Let's give them their time alone. Meanwhile, I'll show you how to bug Misty while I bug May," said Drew.

Ash followed him, shrugging. "See ya 'round, Gary…We'll just leave you two alone," he said, winking.

Drew elbowed his idiotic friend in the stomach.

"Ouch, that hurt!" Ash said indignantly. As they walked away, Gary heard Ash say, "What does dullard mean, Drew?"

Gary could practically picture Drew's eye roll. Then, he turned back to Dawn, who was digging through her locker, grabbing her books.

"Hey, what's up?" Gary asked. Suddenly, his throat felt very dry. His heart started beating at a hundred miles per hour. He, THE Gary Oak, felt nervous.

Dawn turned. Her brows were furrowed cutely, and her blue eyes were tearstained. She was wearing her cheerleading uniform, but she didn't look very cheery.

"Another fight, huh?" Gary asked, already knowing what was wrong.

Her face broke into a teary smile. "You know me so well, Gary," she whispered.

"Well, I'm your best friend; what do you expect?" he asked, giving her a winning smile.

Much to his satisfaction, Dawn blushed slightly. "But, no need to worry. I'm sure Paul and I'll make up, and everything'll be back to normal," said Dawn, always the optimistic one. For once, Gary wished she wasn't so positive.

"So, from the sounds of it, it was just a minor fight," Gary said, his beating heart calming down. He was pissed that he couldn't be with her, but he wanted Dawn to be happy, and if that freak Paul made her happy, so be it.

"It was pretty bad," Dawn admitted, her blue eye darkening.

Gary patted her shoulder. "Call me tonight, and we'll talk about it, okay?" he asked.

"Alright. See you at lunch, Gary," she said.

Gary raised an eyebrow. Ever since Dawn had started dating Paul, she'd been sitting at his table with the punks—and Brendan. Just as Paul was the bane of Gary's existence, Brendan was the bane of Drew's. He and the white-haired teen (seriously, did he have, like, an aging disorder, or something?) competed for May's attention since the beginning of high school (Drew was an exchange student from LaRousse City).

"You wanna sit with my friends and me, Dawn?" Gary asked in surprise.

Dawn cast her eyes down. "Well, if that's okay with you…I'm not really ready to face him yet," she admitted.

"Of course. I'll see you at lunch then—and don't forget to call me tonight," Gary said over his shoulder. Then, as if on cue, the bell rang.

Dawn closed her locker, feeling satisfied for some reason. She and Gary had been friends since elementary school, and she had been getting worried that she and Gary were drifting apart. She felt like the more time she spent with Paul, the less time she'd spent with her other friends.

She smiled to herself and walked down the hall, only to crash into Paul. His gray eyes flamed, and his mouth twisted into a scowl.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" he spat.

"Really? Look who's talking!" Dawn retorted.

"That's your best comeback?" Paul challenged.

"You're such a jerk!" she screamed.

"You keep saying that," Paul said coldly.

"You know what?" Dawn snarled, a thought coming to her.

"What?"

"I don't have to deal with this anymore! We're over!" she yelled. Then, she pushed her way through the crowd that had formed in the hallway.

Paul growled and ran off in the opposite direction, fists balled up. As he stalked away, he punched the nearest locker.

"Looks like the head cheerleader isn't very cheery," Drew said, his arrogant voice sounding above the rest of the chatter.

Gary would've retaliated, but at that moment, a bunch of squealing fangirls crowded around Drew, telling him how clever and amazing he was. Gary grinned to himself. Sometimes, the universe just gives you one. First, the breakup with Paul, now sweet revenge on Drew; this day was just getting better and better. Gary almost wanted to chase Dawn and make sure she was okay, but he figured she needed some time to cool off…

* * *

**A/N: **So, how'd you like the first chapter? I said I was going to try some CavalierShipping, so I decided to write this!

*Also, I won't be updating this story until I get **at least 5 reviews.*** That doesn't seem like asking too much, does it?


	2. Apologies and Melted Ice Cream

**A/N: **Well, that didn't take very long at all…and I wasn't expecting it to be so quick. Anyway, thanks to everyone who reviewed—and keep doing so, please! Also, this chapter will be more Contest/PokeShipping than the previous one. Also, the girls will be the focus of this chapter instead of the boys…Although, there _is _a pretty intriguing phone conversation yet to come…Enjoy.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Pokémon or the characters…

\^*0*^/ {X} \^*0*^/**Favorite Boy**\^*0*^/ {X} \^*0*^/

{2} **Chapter 2: Apologies and Melted Ice Cream **{2}

"I-I can't believe we broke up!" Dawn sobbed, her head in a pillow on her bed. "Why does he have to be so mean? I-I miss…PAUL!"

Misty and Zoey exchanged a look as May attempted to comfort her friend. Zoey was sort of the outcast of the group. She was new addition to the "popular girls". Misty, Dawn, and May used to be the Three Musketeers, but then, Zoey came along. She was considered to be in the "punk" clique, but she was also popular because of how pretty she was. She was happy to have such good friends—especially Dawn. Then, Zoey met Paul…Paul the jerk. She didn't know how she'd fallen for her best friend's boyfriend, but she had. Zoey had concealed her feelings well, though, but Misty had found out somehow. Fortunately, Misty had agreed to keep it a secret for the sake of Zoey's friendship with Dawn.

"It's okay, Dawn," May said, still trying to cheer her up. "I know you're hurt, but it'll eventually fade. It's alright,"

May was the happy-go-lucky member of the group. Although she was smart, she was considered by many to be a complete idiot because of how optimistic she was. She was very pretty, though, with her chocolate brown hair and sapphire eyes. She was a cheerleader with many fanboys, so she was a popular girl, too.

"I can't believe she's so upset about this," Misty whispered to Zoey. "This is worse than when she broke up with Kenny,"

Zoey winced. She had also had a crush on Kenny, but since Girl Code clearly articulated that a girl couldn't date her best friend's ex, she could never tell Kenny how she felt.

Then, Zoey cleared her throat. "I think I'll go get all of you some ice cream. Ice cream is the most magical substance in the world, after all," she said with a smile.

May and Misty nodded, eager to get something for Dawn to stop her from crying. Even though this was her house, and they had been invited over, they hadn't been expecting to have their friend get so upset over a boy.

"I want chocolate!" May called after her, grinning as the door shut. "Chocolate is so much tastier than strawberry," she added with a smirk.

Dawn instantly puffed up, sniffing as she wiped her tears. "No way! Chocolate is boring! Everyone loves a sweet scoop of strawberry!" she argued.

The girls always playfully argued about which ice cream flavor was the best. Zoey always sided with May, saying that chocolate was better, and Misty felt that strawberry was the superior flavor.

"Well, there's only one way to solve this!" Misty said, picking a pillow up off the bed.

"Pillow fight!" May and Dawn said at the same time. They each picked up the pillows they'd brought with them.

Dawn and Misty took up the pillows, approaching May menacingly. Then, they began hitting her (playfully, of course) with their pillows. May shielded her face, her body shaking with laughter as she tried to block their blows.

Zoey entered the room, opening the door. She put the ice cream down as she saw her "ice cream buddy" was in trouble. She took two pillows from Dawn's bed and snuck up on Misty and Dawn.

"Two against one isn't fair!" Zoey cried as she hit both girls with the pillows.

Then, the pillow fight of the millennium began. Finally, exhausted, both sides called for a cease fire. By this time, their ice cream had melted, which made all four girls erupt with laughter.

"Well, I say that the chocolate will still taste better than strawberry, even melted," said Zoey, taking a spoonful of the melted substance. Then, she smiled. "May, you've gotta have some of this! It tastes like a milkshake!" she cried as she licked her lips. She handed her friend a spoon and watched as May took a tentative spoonful.

"Wow!" May said, taking another spoonful. "It's delicious,"

Misty and Dawn looked at the two girls doubtfully before taking spoonfuls of their own melted ice cream.

"Yummy!" said Misty as she licked the spoon.

Dawn did the same. "You guys are right! This _is_ really good!" she said.

"I'll go get some cups so we can drink our ice cream," said Zoey.

"I'll come with," said May as she picked up one of the tubs. She tried to pick up the other, but she couldn't do so, so Misty took up the other one.

"I've got it," said the redhead.

May cast her a grateful smile. "Thanks," she said.

"No problem," Misty replied. Then, she turned to her blue-haired friend. "Will you put the pillows back on the bed, Dawn? Then, come downstairs, and your ice cream milkshake will be ready. We might even add bananas to ours,"

"Yeah, I'd like that," Dawn said. "Don't worry, I'll be fine up here,"

The other three girls nodded, and Dawn could hear them laughing and joking about whose would taste better on the way down.

Dawn sat on her bed. She still felt empty without Paul in her life. Truth be told, she really missed him…she wanted him back, but she knew that would just give him his way. No, she had to be strong now.

Then, she heard a familiar ring tone. Her phone wasn't in plain sight, so she dug through the pile of pillows until she found it. It'd almost stopped ringing when she answered.

"Hello?" she asked, her voice somewhat breathlessly.

"Hey, Dawn," said Gary's voice. It sounded slightly hurt, and Dawn suddenly felt a wave of remorse. She'd forgotten to call him. Crap.

"Gary, I'm so sorry I forgot," Dawn said. Tears already blurred her vision. Great, she'd just lost her very best male friend…just great. This was like Kenny all over again.

"No hard feelings," Gary replied. "I'm just happy you answered," he added.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Dawn was pretty sure that Gary wanted to talk about Paul, but she couldn't be certain. This _was_ Gary Oak she was talking about, after all.

Gary's voice became heavy. "You okay, Dawn?" he asked gently.

Dawn felt her tears coming back, and she took a shaky breath, willing her voice to crack. "I miss him," she said simply.

"I'm sorry," he said. It sounded like he really meant it. _He was sorry._

Dawn was surprised for a second. "You're sorry? But you have nothing to apologize for," she said, completely and utterly shocked.

"I know, but since_ he_ probably won't say sorry for a long time, I want to give you mine as a sort of…consolation prize," he said slowly.

Dawn started to laugh, and she could hear Gary laughing, too. "You're the best friend ever," she whispered.

"Well, I'm happy you think so," Gary replied. Then, he paused. "By the way, Dawn, if you need anyone to talk to—or maybe you just need a hug, call me. I promise I'll answer you," His voice was strong, and it made Dawn surprised that she heard real compassion and kindness in it.

"Thank you, Gary. I love you, big brother," she said. By the end, her voice had taken up a joking tone.

"I love you, too, Dawn," he said softly. Then, his voice regained its usual cocky edge. "I'll see you at school tomorrow. Smell ya later," Then, he hung up.

Dawn smiled slightly. It felt like that smile had been the first one she'd actually felt that day. "Good old Gary," she said as she closed her phone.

She heard her friends downstairs, so, cleaning forgotten, she ran down the steps. The blender was running, and the ice cream tubs were empty.

"Hey, girls," Dawn said with a smile.

Misty, who'd known the blue-haired girl the longest, knew that the only way to induce such a smile was a conversation with Gary Oak. "So," she whispered in her friend's ear. "You talked to Gary, didn't you?"

Dawn nodded. Then, she projected so that her other two friends wouldn't feel left out. "Gary called, and he made me feel a whole lot better," she said.

May hugged her friend. "Gary's great, isn't he?" she said.

Dawn nodded again. "He's the best guy friend a girl could ever have, but his help wouldn't have done any good without the rest of you guys," she said.

Zoey reluctantly joined the group hug, and the girls stayed that way for a minute. Finally, the let go of each other, and Misty smiled at Dawn.

"I'm glad you're feeling better," she told her sincerely.

"Thanks. So girls, how about we take our shakes upstairs and play some truth or dare?" Zoey suggested.

May and Misty nodded enthusiastically, and Dawn jumped up and down. "I just _love_ truth or dare!" she cried, taking her milkshake from Misty.

"Great, then let's play!" May agreed as the girls ran upstairs. Inside, she was ecstatic that her friend was back to her hyper self.

Finally, the girls arranged their sleeping bags in a circle around Dawn's bed, which was a Japanese style, so it was low to the ground. "Who wants to be the asker?" Dawn asked.

"I'll do it," Misty volunteered. Then, she looked around her group of friends. "So, who wants to go first?"

"I'll go first," Zoey replied.

May and Dawn nodded, not wanting to be the first one to go. This was a game of collaborative game of truth or dare, so they'd all have a say on what the person going had to do or what question she had to answer.

"Truth or dare, Zoey?" Misty asked, taking a sip of her milkshake. Just like she'd told Dawn, she'd put some banana into it. The strawberry ice cream complimented the bananas quite nicely.

"Truth," Zoey said instantly. She knew from experience with the Three Musketeers that the dares were usually quite bad, so she decided on truth.

May, Misty, and Dawn gathered into a circle, whispering to each other. Dawn knew exactly what she wanted to ask, so May and Misty just nodded to each other. After all, it couldn't really be that bad, could it?

"Zoey, do you like anyone?" Dawn asked.

Said redheaded girl flinched. She knew she didn't have to tell _who _she liked, but it still made her nervous that Dawn was even asking. Why, if she found out, Zoey would be kicked out of the foursome. Misty looked pretty scared, too, but she looked at Zoey and nodded.

Zoey took a deep breath. "Yes," she said simply.

May squealed. "Aww! You like someone! That's so sweet!" she cried. "I'm _positive_ whoever he is loves you!" she added.

Misty and Zoey looked at each other again.

Dawn smiled, too. "Who is it?" she asked.

Before Zoey could answer, Misty cut in. "You can't ask two questions, Dawn. You can only ask one at a time. That's the rule," she said quickly.

Dawn looked a little miffed but nodded nonetheless. "I'll go next," she said.

Misty smiled. "Truth or dare?" she asked.

"Uh…truth," Dawn replied.

Misty, Zoey, and May deliberated. After what felt like an eternity of whispered arguing, they finally decided on a question.

"Dawn, have you ever laughed so hard you wet yourself?" Misty asked as they other two girls giggled.

Dawn blinked in shock. Sure, there'd been that time. "Yeah," she said finally. Then, she took a deep breath and launched into her story. "I was six, and Kenny and I were eating spaghetti. He'd somehow gotten it caught in his hair, and I laughed so hard that I wet myself," she said, casting her eyes down.

Zoey, May, and Misty took one look at each other's reactions and burst out laughing. They all looked amused and horrified at the same time.

"Okay, I'll go now," said Misty. "Do you worst," she added.

"Truth or dare?" Zoey asked, grinning evilly.

"Truth," said Misty.

"Aw, come on! You're all chickens!" May cried. Then, she, Zoey, and Dawn got into a football huddle.

"Yeah, Dawn, that's a good one!" Zoey said, her voice approving.

"And since you came up with it, you ask it," May added.

Dawn nodded, and the three girls left their huddle. "Misty, have you ever had a dream about kissing Ash?" she asked, giggles escaping her lips.

Misty blushed a pure red that rivaled Zoey's hair and twiddled her thumbs. "Well, I…um…he's so stupid!" she cried. "He was even stupid in my dream!"

"So you admit you had a dream," May said with a triumphant smirk.

May, Dawn, and Zoey burst out laughing. Misty soon became tired of their laughter.

"It's not funny," she said indignantly, her blush becoming an even deeper red as the other girls kept giggling.

"It really is," Dawn said as their laughter died down.

Finally, May stopped laughing, and the other three girls looked at her. "What?" she asked as they stared at her expectantly.

"You're the last one, May," said Zoey with a smile.

"Truth or dare?" Misty asked.

"Dare!" May said confidently.

Zoey, Misty, and Dawn looked at each other with smiles on their faces. They didn't even need to deliberate for this one. Finally, there was someone who'd been brave enough to do the dare. Too bad she'd either be humiliated or mentally scarred by this.

"You have two choices, May…" Misty began as May gulped.

"You can either kiss Drew…" said Zoey.

May gasped. _Kiss Drew_, _kiss Drew, kiss Drew_…the words kept echoing in her head. There was no way—

"…By the end of the week!" Dawn added with a giggle.

"That's not—"

"Or hang out with him for the whole week!" they all finished in unison, ignoring May's protests.

May paled. Then, her face turned red with blush. "That's not fair!" she said. Then, she folded her arms. "I'm not doing it!" she added.

"Ah, ah, ah, May," said Misty, her tone scolding. Her smile was small and slightly evil-looking.

May looked to Dawn pleadingly, but she shook her head. "You have to do a dare. That's the rule of the game," she said, giggling some more.

Finally, May looked to Zoey desperately, but no help was to be found there. "Besides, you're lucky we're even giving you a choice," she said.

"So choose one!" said all three girls.

May sighed. Finally, after a long pause, she spoke. "I choose to…" She gulped. "Hang out with him," May had to force the words from her mouth.

"Great," said Dawn. The other girls giggled, and May instantly regretted her decision. At least the kiss would've only lasted for a few seconds. Hanging out with Drew all day for a week—now, that lasted for hours…all that annoying smirking and hair flipping…

"By the way," Misty began.

"You have hang out with him on the weekend, too," said Zoey. "_And_ you have to formulate an excuse to do so,"

"Which can be but is not limited to the following…" said Dawn, making her voice sound like Cynthia Shirona, the school's principal.

"A project," Zoey said.

"Homework," Misty added.

"A walk in the park,"

"A trip to the beach,"

"Or…" Zoey began.

"A DATE!" said Zoey, Dawn, and Misty, giggling.

May groaned, flopping onto her sleeping bag. Something told her the three girls had been planning this from the start. More than ever, she wished she'd chosen truth…

* * *

**A/N: **Well, there you go! By the way, this will be updated once the story receives: **6 more reviews. **Until next time…


	3. Just When You Thought

**A/N: **Sorry I couldn't update earlier, but you have know that I have a life, too…anyway, thanks for your patience—and for reviewing! Enjoy the next chapter! Also, this will have a considerable amount of ContestShipping, so if you don't like it, I'm sorry. The next chapter will have PokeShipping, though…  
**Disclaimer: **I don't own Pokémon.

\^*0*^/ {X} \^*0*^/**Favorite Boy**\^*0*^/ {X} \^*0*^/

{3} **Chapter 3: Just When You Thought **{3}

Dawn opened her eyes, feeling quite groggy as she got up out of bed. Sunlight was filtering in through her bedroom's curtains. She smiled to herself as she watched Misty and Zoey sleeping. But wait! Where was May? She looked at the clock. It was seven in the morning, which left her plenty of time to get dressed and such.

"May?" Dawn whispered tiredly. She tried not to speak to loudly so as not to wake her other friends up. She stood, stepping over her two other friends, who were still asleep.

The door to Dawn's bathroom opened, and out came May. Dawn was surprised; in all the years she'd known May, May had always hated getting up early in the morning. May turned to Dawn questioningly. May was already dressed in a tight-fitting red tee shirt with a black heart on it and some dark wash skinny jeans. She wore a pair of navy blue boots and a matching navy bandana. In short, she looked quite nice.

"It's not like you to be up this early, May," Dawn said quietly, still keeping her voice modulated.

May almost smirked but stopped herself. She really _had_ to stop doing that. After all, she had a _little_ crush on Drew…just a little one…But even so, that wasn't an excuse to start _smirking_ like him. What was next? The hair flip, perhaps?

"I guess I was trying to make myself look pretty today," May admitted.

"Because of Drew?" Dawn asked slyly.

May blushed. "Maybe," she said.

"More like definitely," Dawn teased, giggling, as May punched her playfully.

Then, they stopped as Misty shifted in her sleep. She then opened her aqua blue eyes and looked from May to Dawn and back again. "Morning," she said, stretching. Grabbing her clothes, she walked into the bathroom and shut the door.

May and Dawn exchanged a look and laughed at the fact Misty hadn't even complained about being woken up. They both knew that meant she'd been dreaming of Ash.

"So, she was dreaming about Ash again?" Zoey asked as she got up, unzipping her sleeping bag. Her amber eyes shone with humor as she got a brush from her backpack.

"Does she ever dream about anyone else?" May asked with a giggle.

Dawn nudged Zoey. "I'll bet you May had a sweet little dream about a certain green-haired heartthrob," she said.

Zoey smiled as she ran her brush through her hair. "You'd win that bet," she said as May began to blush.

"You know, I think she's going about it the right way," Misty said as she came out of the bathroom.

"Really?" Zoey and Dawn asked at the same time..

"Of course. May is the only smart one. If you like someone, you've gotta go for it!" Misty said enthusiastically.

"I don't like him!" May protested.

"Then why are you blushing?" Dawn teased.

Zoey ignored the banter going on between May and Dawn. "You know, Mist," she whispered in her friend's ear. "I don't think that applies all the time,"

Misty nodded almost imperceptibly. "I agree with you. You're in quite the predicament," she said, patting her friend comfortingly. "Just give it some time. I'm sure your feelings will fade,"

"But what if they don't?" Zoey cried…a little too loudly.

May and Dawn gave Zoey a strange look. Misty's heart fell to her stomach. This was just great; May would side with Dawn if Zoey's crush on Paul leaked. May was a stickler to the girl code, so if she found out, Zoey would be booted from the group.

"What if what don't?" Dawn asked, seeming slightly confused as she brushed her hair, one eye trained on her reflection while one darted between Zoey and Misty.

"Yeah, I'm so lost," May added with a hopeless smile.

"Uh, what if the boys don't…like my outfit?" Zoey improvised. "Yup, I'd better go change!" With that, a very flustered Zoey ran off to the bathroom.

After she left, May and Dawn exchanged another look. _What was up with her?_

"I wonder what's got her so nervous," May said, verbalizing both Dawn's thoughts and her own.

"Yeah, I wonder," Dawn added. Her eyes were narrowed, and she wondered why her friend was acting so strangely.

"Oh, she's just excited to get to school," Misty said from her seat on a beanbag. Inwardly, she was praying they'd just let it go…

"Excited?" May demanded.

"About school?" Dawn added, her expression quizzical.

"Um…we had a test in…uh…Algebra yesterday, and she's worried how she did on it because it counts as, like, a third of her grade," Misty lied. Well, she wasn't lying about the test…She was lying about why Zoey was so nervous, obviously. _Come on, just let it go_, she thought. _Please!_

"Well, okay!" Dawn said. She put down her brush and moved picked up her makeup bag.

May just shrugged and went back to doodling in her notebook. She honestly didn't care, since she was so scared about Drew. Seriously, it was the dumbest dare _ever_. Officially.

The bus ride had been boring and uneventful, like always. The four girls had all sat together, squeezed into a three-seater, their bags strewn on the seats across the aisle. They laughed about the dumbest things, trying to pass the awkward and quite boring twenty or so minutes. Several times, there were brief silences amongst the girls, only further supporting Dawn's belief that someone was hiding something from her. She had no idea just how right she was…

Finally, after quite a tense ride, the yellow school bus pulled up in front of the school. They all retrieved their bags from the pile and joined the other kids on the bus in crowding the door, anticipating that _swish_ as it opened, sending them to the prison they all called school. May looked at the imposing brick façade of the tall school building. Today was Tuesday, so she had seven days of hell to look forward to—hell that didn't only include Drew's constant insults but also the inevitable uprising this would cause amongst his fangirls. Then again, knowing Drew for the arrogant snob he was, Hell would've been a better alternative.

Dawn's voice interrupted May's thoughts. "Well, well, well, May! Look! It's your new best friend," the girl said, nudging the apprehensive brunette in the direction of the green-haired jerk.

May rolled her eyes as she saw Drew, surrounded by girls—as was usual these days. They were all complimenting him on how amazingly handsome he was, how green his hair was so amazingly smooth and shiny, how he was so amazingly smart, and how amazing he was at sports. It was disgusting to watch, and May tore her eyes away with a disdainful sniff.

"Go on, May," Zoey said, pushing her forwards. The humor that danced in her eyes seemed forced and insincere, May noticed with a jolt.

"We'll see you at lunch," Misty added, once again drawing her friend's attention away from Zoey. Then, she whispered, into May's ear, "For the record, this wasn't my idea,"

"I know; you wouldn't be so cruel," May replied with a pained smile.

"Have fun, May," Dawn said dismissively, rolling her eyes at the sisterly side of Misty that was rarely seen. Then, she, Misty, and Zoey walked away, leaving May to "make a friend". Misty turned back and mouthed, "good luck" over her shoulder, causing May to blush furiously.

Sighing and finally getting over her blush, May approached Drew, who was still sitting on a bench. His fangirls had long since scattered, leaving him all alone. In May's opinion, he seemed to be deep in thought. She briefly wondered if he'd take too kindly to having his thoughts interrupted by the likes of her. Heck, they weren't even considered friends, really—at least, that was what May figured from the way he made fun of her all the time.

Finally, she swallowed her doubts and sat down onto the bench. Drew was alerted by the creaking of the old wood but decided to keep his back turned for the time being—even though he had a pretty good idea of who it was…He kept his back turned, for one thing, because he knew it would really irritate her. For another, he was in a pretty comfy position, and if she (he could tell she was a girl; blame hormones) was just saying hi or trying to "cheer him up" when he clearly didn't need cheering up, he'd just fix her with a cold glare that'd scare her away—or just make her leave. He had just been thinking, though, about—

_Her_ voice cut off his thoughts. "Hey, Drew," May said to the other teenager, feeling a bit miffed that he hadn't even turned to look at her. It was as if he was above turning for the likes of her, and it made her kind of mad.

Drew turned finally, smirking at her, even though his heart was pounding in his chest. "See? What did I tell ya? You just can't stay away from me, now can ya?" he sneered. He wished he'd be so fortunate.

Instead of blowing up, May simply groaned at his arrogant attitude but faked a smile. "So, how are you doing, Drew?" she asked.

"Fine," he said curtly, quirking an eyebrow at her mellowness. He was kind of skeptical—not to mention creeped out—by this new May, so he played his usual line that never ceased to get fangirls away. "Look, I've gotta get to my locker, so I'll see ya—" Of course, halfway through that phrase, Drew saw a flaw in what he'd been trying to say. May had, too, apparently.

May cut him off hurriedly, obviously not willing to take no for an answer. "No! I mean, let me come with you. After all, my locker is right next to yours, so why not, you know?" she said, smiling tightly.

Meanwhile, Misty, Dawn, and Zoey were watching from the bushes. Dawn was having an especially hard time not laughing at the scene that was unfolding in front of her. May was totally floundering, after all, and she was coming across as both desperate and possessive at the same time.

"Poor May," Misty murmured, real pity in her tone.

"Yeah, she's making a complete fool of herself," Zoey agreed. She _really_ seemed off today, Dawn observed. By now, she would've rushed to May's aid or said something blunt about something May had said earlier in the conversation.

"I think we should call off the dare," said Misty suddenly. Her cerulean orbs shone with regret.

"No!" Dawn argued instantly. Her dark blue eyes were flaring with a fire Misty instantly recognized as compassion. "We dared her, so she _has_ to do it," she hissed. Her voice was that same determined voice that she only used in the situations where she wanted no backtalk.

Misty and Zoey had known her long enough to tell that she wasn't backing down, so they sighed in resignation. They watched, feeling intense remorse and pity, as May embarrassed herself in front of her crush. Dawn felt a bit bad for her friend, too, but she shook it off, knowing it'd make May stronger in the end, and that was all that mattered, really.

Drew looked at May suspiciously. "Why would you want to come to my locker with me?" he questioned, peering at her through narrowed eyes.

"Well, because…uh…We don't really spend that much time together, and I know you're a pretty cool guy, so yeah," May said pathetically.

Drew's face turned sad. "It's because you don't like me, right? And you…dare I say it…you feel sorry for me," Then, he allowed his fringe to cover his eyes, making it look like he was crying.

May felt suddenly felt a wave of remorse. Drew was crying…because of her…it was terrible. Wait, he was _crying_? Drew _never _cried…Why would he cry about something so trivial and unimportant, anyway?

Then, he smirked at May's expression, and May cursed herself for being so gullible. "You know, most people would've thought by now that you like me," he said smugly.

May clenched her teeth. "I _don't _like you," she hissed. She almost wanted to tell him that she was dared to hang around with him, but it was against the rules that Dawn had laid out beforehand.

Finally, Drew's face became passive again as he shrugged at her. "Whatever you say," he said. Then, he started to walk away. He turned once more when he noticed she wasn't coming with him. "Hello? Earth to May. You coming?" he asked, waving a hand in front of the brunette's face.

She snapped out of her trance and followed him down the hallway. "Stupid, stupid, stupid," she muttered to herself.

He turned with a smirk. "What was that, May?" His blandly amused tone of voice told May he'd heard her, though.

"Nothing," May replied, a fake smile plastered onto her face.

"Sure," Drew retorted, smirking at her. He flipped his bangs from his face smugly.

They kept walking in an awkward silence that seemed to stretch time and make the few minutes feel like hours. May could feel people staring at her as she walked next to Drew, but she held her head high and tried to ignore the whispers. Finally, they made it to their lockers, and, after getting some books they needed for class, Drew and May said an awkward goodbye.

"That was so weird," Drew muttered to himself as she walked away. _Oddly enough, though, I think I liked it,_ he added in his head.

"What was so weird?" asked a new person, snapping Drew from his thoughts. It was, of course, Gary Oak, the person Drew had been waiting to see this morning.

"Uh, May just randomly acted all chummy with me today—it was so strange," Drew replied as Gary smirked knowingly.

"You liked having her around, didn't you?" Gary questioned with a quirked eyebrow and a wink.

Drew started blushing uncontrollably, and Gary snickered. "Stop that!" Drew cried, his face still crimson. His complaints only made Gary laugh harder. "And wipe that smug smirk off your face," he added angrily. He folded his arms around his chest and turned his blushing face away.

Gary's smirk faded, and his laughter died down. "Sorry," he said, his hazel eyes gleaming. "It _was_ pretty funny, though, you have to admit,"

"Not from my point of view," the green-haired teen answered huffily. Then, his expression turned thoughtful as he looked at his best friend once again. "So, did you talk to Dawn last night?" he asked. There was a hint of teasing in his tone, but Gary decided to ignore it.

He nodded. "She forgot to call me 'cause she was at a sleep over with her friends last night, but when I called, she picked up," he confirmed.

Drew smirked. "I'll bet it was hard for you hearing your girl whine about her emo boyfriend," he said. This time, his tone was blatantly teasing.

Instead of flaring up, Gary just nodded solemnly. "It was quite difficult, I'll admit…but she and I are friends, and we'll always be friends, no matter what happens," he said seriously.

"Even though you like her?" Drew questioned.

"Even though I like her," Gary replied. Then, as if he'd just realized what he'd said, he frowned. "I don't like her!" he added, his face flushing.

"Don't like whom?" asked Ash, coming up behind the other two boys. Then, reading their expressions, he grinned. "Is this about who I think it's about?"

Drew and Gary looked at each other. Was it just them, or had Ash gotten smarter? Finally, they nodded simultaneously, and Ash chuckled triumphantly.

"I knew it!" he crowed, jumping up and down. "I knew you didn't like Principal Shirona!"

Gary and Drew then rolled their eyes at Ash in a unison eye roll. "Seriously, dude?" the asked at the same time. Then, Drew flipped his flawless hair, causing Gary to grit his teeth, and the moment of them being the same faded.

Ash's triumphant smile faded, too. "Oh," he said as the other two boys whispered the name of who they'd really been talking about in his ear. "That's too bad," he added once he'd heard the whole story.

Then, before anyone could say anything, the bell rang, signaling the beginning of classes. The crowd of students in the hallway scattered as they went where they had to go, looking like ants or bees moving about to get things done…

_During Break…_

"Hi, Drew!" May said, trying to act as happy as possible when in reality, she wanted to go and hang out with her real friends. It wasn't that she had anything against—oh, wait! She _did_. _Annoying little…obnoxious, arrogant teenaged—_her internal rant was interrupted.

Drew turned, expecting a fangirl to come at him. Instead, he spotted May running towards the bench he was sitting on. "Hey, what's up?" he asked as he looked at her quizzically.

"Nothin' much! I just thought we could hang out during break. That's cool, right?" May asked, a hopeful smile playing on her lips.

Drew thought for a moment. At least having May around was better than fangirls…and besides, this meant he could annoy her more. "Sure," he said finally.

May grinned. "Thank goodness," she said happily. "I thought for a minute there that you were going to walk away,"

* * *

Dawn was sitting on a bench, watching the two of them intently. They looked so cute together, and the way they bantered and argued all the time proved they would make the perfect couple. _Maybe I'll get Misty and Ash together next_, she thought, smiling slightly at the idea. Before she could make an adequate plan, however, a new voice cut into her thoughts.

"Don't you know it's rude to eavesdrop?" Gary asked, coming up to his friend.

"Hey, Gary," Dawn said, smiling. "And yes, I dow, but I'm doing it for May's sake. I can help prevent casualties from occurring,"

Gary rolled his. "So, may I sit down?" he asked, motioning to the spot next to her.

"Sure!" she said happily.

"So, are you feeling better, Dawn?" he murmured gently. He looked into her blue eyes with his gentle hazel ones.

Dawn said nothing for a minute, deliberating, as her expression darkened considerably. Finally, she spoke. "Look, Gary, I've tried so hard to forget about him, but I just can't," she whispered.

Gary raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" he demanded. _She can't possibly mean…No, I won't hear it!_ he thought.

"I mean, I think Paul might just be…the one," she whispered. "In fact, I think I might love him…"

He clenched his fists. "You feel this way—even after how terrible he was to you? Dawn, why?" he asked, his smile fading.

She sighed. "I don't know…do you ever know who you love and why? I just can't stop thinking about him, Gary," Dawn whispered to him.

"What are you going to do about it?" asked the football player, his fists still balled.

"I think…" The head cheerleader smiled and paused, sighing. "I think I'm going to get back with him," she answered finally.

* * *

**A/N: **Duh duh duh! (insert dramatic announcer's voice here): So, what will happen? Will Dawn get back with Paul? What will Gary do about this? Find out next time in the next thrilling installment of Favorite Boy. It's only **Ten (10) More Reviews **away. (Yes, I'm upping it…otherwise, I'll be updating everyday…and I have other stories to write, too)


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